The Monthly Publication of the Beer Barons of Milwaukee

BARON MIND October 2019 www.beerbarons.org

Come check out the results of the Beer

Barons Barrel projects

(Who “wood-n’t” want to?)

Welcome 1840 Brewing

Company as they share their experiences with

barrel aging

President’s Letter

On the first Saturday in November, thousands of people will gather at Learn to Homebrew Day sites worldwide to brew beer and learn about

the hobby of homebrewing.

In 1999, Learn To Homebrew Day was established by the American Homebrewers Association to promote the most rewarding, and

delicious activity of all time — homebrewing.

Join the celebration and attend or register your event https://www.homebrewersassociation.org

Happy Fall, The cold crisp air, beautiful colors, caramel apples and pumpkin spice adulterated everything! Change is everywhere... Speaking about change, we thought it would be fun to spice things up a bit, but without pumpkin spice. LOL

Don't miss out on the 12 Beers of Christmas, details can be found in this newsletter. I'm hoping that many of you participate Hint - Hint. ;) Think of it as a cookie exchange, but with BEER, MEAD and CIDER. An idea given to me by one of the judges from Michigan, during the first round NHC competition.

Then check out the Club ONLY - Iron Brewer Competition. There are only 14 spots available. Judging will be held at the January meeting so there is plenty of time to get your brew on. Let me know if you want in, at the meetings and please see the additional information in this newsletter.

And last but certainly never least, Thanks to Jon Green and Michael Sande and all who helped with the Schnapp Hans competition. Congratulations too to our fellow Barons who brought home medals. Many thanks to my fellow officers who work their butts off making things run smoothly. And thanks too, to Bruce and Julie who are offering Cider Classes. YOU should attend, as they are providing valuable information that will make you a better cider maker and prep those who are interested in judging Cider. None of this happens without YOU and I can't thank YOU enough. :)

Here's to a full glass of something tasty, Rahshal

Vice President’s Update

Thank you to those that donated beer for the Hope Foundation Fundraiser! Special thanks to Tom and Lisa Nowalis, Steve Swanson and Denise for representing the Barons at this great event!

Hello Barons! I hope you enjoyed Imperial Yeast’s presentation last month. Our very own AHA liason and

famed BJCP judge/instructor Bruce Buerger helped us set that up. When you see Bruce

please say thank you for getting us in contact with Imperial. This month we will have a

double feature, our long awaited barrel aged night is upon us. Also, please give a warm

welcome to Kyle from 1840 Brewing. Since we are all familiar with the process of

homebrewing and barrel aging; the board thought it would make sense to hear from the best

of the best. Kyle and company have a great reputation for barrel aging and should be able to

provide some solid input on our brews.

Next month stay tuned for Belgian night, Its going to be a fun theme as I have titled it “ The

Big Belgian Battle” we will be sampling some big beers and may the best Belgian win!

Cheers, -Tom

Beer Barons of Milwaukee Members ONLY

Iron Brewer

Challenge

Rules

1. Open only to Current Beer Barons Members

2. Member(s) of the Officers select the ingredient(s) that need to be included in the brew

• Ingredient Kits will be available for purchase.

• Cost is $15.00 for the October /January kit.

The charge is to encourage follow thru and protect the club from loss.

Limited to 14 kits – equal to jockey box capacity.

Regular Jockey Box rules apply

3. Bring your Beer to the January meeting to be judged against other Iron Brewers

4. Brew any style you choose

5. All attendees will have an opportunity to vote.

Prizes 1st place, 2nd and 3rd place

October Kit for January Judging Month

5 lbs – Mecca Grade Lamonta 42oz container of Old Fashioned Oats

Good Luck!!

REMINDER

Due to the upcoming holidays-

The November general meeting will be held on the third Wednesday of the month at 7:30 pm

The December general meeting will be held on

the third Wednesday of the month at 7:00 pm

Treasurer Report

October - Did You Know???

Happy Brewing Barons. As of 9/30/19, our Club bank balance was $9,788.08. The Club bank balance one year ago (on 9/30/18) was $7,028.57. We had 75 people attend the September meeting (Imperial Yeast). Our current membership is 160 individuals. I am looking forward to the October general meeting in which it will be barrel night, as well as 1840 night. To explain barrel night, club members were able to order an oak barrel from FEW Distillery in Evanston, IL, paid for by the club. FEW has 15-gallon bourbon barrels, rye whiskey barrels, and gin barrels. Members could team up with other members and brew beer to put in their respective barrels, and let it soak up those savory flavors until it was time to serve in October. We got a very good price from FEW as we ordered in bulk (about 15 barrels). In January 2019, club member Josh Strupp personally drove to Evanston, IL to pick them up. They were very fresh in that FEW drained them the day before Josh picked them up. Anyway, at the October general meeting, the members who received a barrel are required to bring that barrel-aged beer to the meeting to share with everyone. This is the 3rd year in a row that the club has purchased barrels for members willing to try their hand in barrel-aging. What a great club we belong to.

Let’s talk Star San. What’s in it? Do you reuse it? How long do you keep it? As you likely know, Star San is manufactured by a company called Five Star Affiliates, Inc. It is an acid-based, no-rinse sanitizer that is made mainly from food grade phosphoric acid. The actual ingredients are:

• Phosphoric Acid 50% • Dodecylbenzene Sulfonic Acid 15% • Isopropyl Alcohol 10% • Trade Secret Ingredients 25%

Five Star gives instructions to add 5 gallons of water to every 1 oz of Star San to dilute it properly. That being said, when I first started to homebrew, I was concerned putting my hands in an acid-based product, even though it was diluted, so I used to wear gloves when handling the diluted solution. However, I got tired of buying gloves, so now I don’t wear them anymore, and I haven’t run into any dry skin concerns (although if I handled every day, I may consider wearing them once again). I make up a solution of about 3.75 gallons and keep it in a bucket for approximately 3 weeks. I typically reuse that diluted solution for the entire 3 weeks, unless that solution happens to get dirty or begins to get cloudy. When it does get cloudy, I check the PH level because Five Star’s website says the diluted solution must remain at a PH of 3 or below to maintain the proper sanitizing level (another good reason to have a PH meter). I am guessing you are just like me and you know exactly what ‘Dodecylbenzene’ means, but in case you don’t – it is a key ingredient used in many household laundry detergents. Isopropyl alcohol, sometimes called ‘rubbing alcohol’ is a common ingredient in chemicals such as antiseptics, disinfectants, detergents, and in personal care products. I once wondered whether I could use Coca-Cola as a sanitizing solution knowing that like Star San, it contained phosphoric acid (4th ingredient on the can). However, with so much sugar in Coke, I decided against it because my equipment would likely get sticky (nothing worse than your equipment being sticky). Perhaps I should try Diet Coke to sanitize my equipment? Live Life & Enjoy Beer! PK

Join our very own Jason Rohloff and Jared Sutliff at:

Special thanks to Owen and Jessica from Imperial Yeast for coming all the way from

Oregon to spend the night with us!!

October Officer’s Meeting at 1840

2019 BOARD MEMBERS

President Rashal Kowal Vice-President Tom Nowalis Treasurer Paul Karcher Secretary Lori McDonald Sergeant at Arms Jason Otto Member at Large Erick Joseph Member at Large Jake Eggener

Contact the Board via email at officers@beerbarons.org

Or in writing at Beer Barons of Milwaukee Cooperative

P.O. Box 270012 Milwaukee, WI 53227

Club Links

Website: beerbarons.org Twitter: twitter.com/beerbaronsMKE Facebook: www.facebook.com/BeerBarons BrewBlog: brewblog.beerbarons.org/ Midwinter Brewfest: twitter.com/MidwinterHBC World of Beer Fest: twitter.com/WorldOfBeerFest www.facebook.com/WorldOfBeerFestival IO Group: https://beerbaronsofmilwaukee.groups.io/g/BeerBaronsOfMilwaukee

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL HOMEBREW SHOP *10% off starred locations with BB membership card

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(262) 633-8239 234 Wisconsin Ave, Racine

Smokin’ Brew (262) 729-3001

9 S. Wisconsin St, Elkhorn

*Northern Brewer 414-935-4099

1306 S. 108th St, West Allis

*Purple Foot (414) 327-2130

5225 W Forest Home Ave, Greenfield

Brews Wine and Spirits, 1256 Capitol Drive offers a 5% discount to Members

Rock Bottom, 740 N. Plankinton offers a 10% discount on food to Members

Milwaukee Ale House, 233 N. Water offers a 10% discount to Members

We are a family owned Honey Producer in Big Bend, WI.

We promote the art of beekeeping and benefits of using local honey through education of consumers,

new beekeepers,

school groups and community programs.

In 1996 Andy started with 2 beehives, he currently admits to 500.

After 30 years of safety and ergonomics consulting, he followed his passion and made beekeeping his full

time career.

BIG thanks to Andy and Cheryl Hemken for allowing us to

store our club trailer on their land at:

Hemken Honey Co.

W229 S7120 Guthrie School Rd. Big Bend, WI Business phone: 262-662-2843 Visit their website for information on their products and where to find them: http://www.hemkenhoney.com/

Beer Barons Lead First Homebrewers Weekend at Old World Wisconsin

By: Jerry Janiszewski

The Beer Barons of Milwaukee headlined the first Homebrewers Weekend at Old World

Wisconsin (OWW) in Eagle, WI. On Saturday, September 14th Rahshal Kowal, and Rob &

Sherry Howard brewed a Kolsch Style beer in the OWW Caldwell Hall, demonstrating

modern home brewing techniques using a Grainfather, all-in-one, all-grain brewing

system. They captured the interest of visitors who watched them mash, sparge, boil and

cool, within this self-contained unit. A unit was also on display for guests to take a closer

look. As Patrick McHugh stated “we’re demonstrating brewing methods from the Jetsons

to the Flintstones this weekend”.

Patrick took on the latter of the two methods on Sunday, September

15th as he and fellow Baron Rich McKagan brewed a “Viking Nordic

Traditional Farmhouse Ale” using firewood in an old cast iron stove

located in the OWW Four Mile Inn at the Crossroads Village. The

unique recipe called for Spruce/Juniper branches instead of hops for

flavoring. Both the Kolsch Style and Viking Ale were served at our

September meeting.

Other brewing activities included a Historic Brewing Demonstration

performed by Old World Volunteers. They brewed a Marzen beer

for Oktoberfest and a Sahti beer was brewed in the 1910’s Finnish

Home along with bread using beer yeast. They also cooked a beer

soup so that you don’t just have to drink beer, you can slurp it too!

The event was sponsored by Briess Malt & Ingredients Co. and the Beer Barons played a

big role in assuring future Homebrewing Weekends. The Wisconsin Historical Society

owns Old World Wisconsin since 1976 and they plan to build a fully operational brewery

and beer garden as part of a reconfigured park entrance project. Special thanks to

Rahshal, Patrick, Rich, and Rob & Sherry for their time and effort and proudly

representing our organization. We’re looking forward to next year when we can get more

Beer Barons to brew at Old World. Please feel free to contact me at

jjjaniszewski@wi.rr.com if you’re interested. Prosit!

See more pictures from the event on the next page!

Beer Barons - Code of Conduct

Our goal is to improve our members’ knowledge of home brewing and its enjoyment. Please show your respect and courtesy to the people you have elected to do the business of this club and the guest speakers that are graciously giving their time to come and put on a presentation for you by being QUIET during the meeting. • Nothing is to be removed from this room that YOU did not bring in (That means the club beers stays). Please leave

all un-opened beer for others to enjoy at other events • NO outside food is allowed to be brought into the meeting that was not purchased at Clifford’s

Only exception is for snack items to enjoy with your beer • Pretzels, popcorn, nuts • Chips & dip • Cheese, sausage & crackers • Smoked or canned fish items

Please bring your own glass and clean up after yourself

• Everyone must check-in with the treasurer, show your membership card, and pay your meeting fee to receive a wristband • Please put your wristband on your wrist (not on your glass/horn)

NO guns or weapons of any kind allowed in the meeting NO SMOKING allowed in the building

Listen - Learn - Ask questions Someone will have the answer

Enjoy the meeting & guest speakers

Thank you to all of the participants and volunteers that made the Schnapp Hans Cup a success! There were 168 confirmed entries from all over the country and a few from Sweden!

Congratulations Beer Barons Winners!

Renee Weinberger and J.D. Blythin 1st place - Bourbon Barrel Aged Wee Heavy 3rd place - Lughnasadh American Wheat

Mike Borchert 3rd place - Bourbon Barrel Baltic Porter

Interested in attending the next Officer’s Meeting?

The Board meeting is open to all members! It’s a great place to find out what’s happening with the club while trying a new place to drink.

Next Officer’s Meeting:

Wednesday, November 6, 2019 - 7:0pm

Hacienda Beer Company Taproom

2018 E North Ave, Milwaukee, WI

For more info and events, check out the Barons Website:

WWW.BEERBARONS.ORG

Did you know that the Beer Barons has a groups.io discussion group where you

can ask questions and participate in brewing discussions?

To join the group: Go to: https://groups.io/ Click on Find or Create a Group Search for Beer Barons of Milwaukee - on the main page select “Subgroups” On the Subgroups page - select the discussion group, enter your email where prompted to request permission to join. You will receive an email confirming your request when it has been processed.

12 Beers of Christmas FAQs Q: What if I want to bring more than 12 bottles of my brew? A: Bring as many as you like as long as they are in increments of 12. Ex: 12, 24, 36, 48 Q: Can a team of brewers participate? A: Yes Q: What if I don't have labels? A; Labels will be provided. Q: What if something suddenly comes up and I can't make the December meeting? A: Please e-mail officers@beerbarons.org and we will try to help Q: Do my 12 brews need to be the same? A: Yes - the idea is that you come with an increment of 12 and leave with an increment of 12 different beers.

BEER BARONS OF MILWAUKEE COOPERATIVE P.O. Box 270012 Milwaukee, WI 53227

Please Support

Clifford’s Supper Club Famous For Their Friday Fish Fry

10418 W. Forest Home, Hales Corners

(414) 425-6226 www.cliffordsfinefood.com

Weddings, Rehearsal Dinners, Baptisms, Birthdays, Showers, Anniversaries, Funerals, and Family Gatherings Wed. Karaoke Wally’s 65 Cent Wings Karaoke Every Wed, Fri, & Sat-9:30pm Clifford’s offers the use of their banquet room to the Beer Barons at a reduced rate. Our support will show our appreciation.

Check out The Barons Website

For more info www.beerbarons.org

1303 S 108th St Milwaukee, WI 414-935-4099

www.northernbrewer.com

Click here for local events at Northern Brewer Classes

Baron Mind is published by the Beer Barons of Milwaukee Cooperative, a non-profit organization. If you have an article or information that you would like to contribute to the newsletter, You can email it to the secretary or mail it to the club’s mailing address.

What’s on Tap??

UPCOMING BEER BARONS MEETINGS, EVENTS AND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Saturday, October 19: Cider Sensory and Judge Training, Northern Brewer, 9:30 am - Noon

Wednesday, October 23: Monthly Meeting @ Clifford’s, Barrel Night, and 1840 - 7:30 pm

Saturday, October 26: Cider Sensory and Judge Training, Northern Brewer, 9:30 am - Noon

Wednesday, October 30: Beer and Bites, 6:30pm: Hales Corners Library

Wednesday, November 6: Officers’ Meeting @ 7pm: Hacienda Brewing

Wednesday, November 20: Monthly Meeting @ Clifford’s, Belgian Night - 7:30 pm

Wednesday, December 4: Officers’ Meeting @ 7pm: TBD

Wednesday, December 18: Monthly Meeting @ Clifford’s, Christmas Party and 12 Beers of

Christmas Exchange - 7:00 pm

Meeting Locations, Topics and Times Subject to Change